When the Viking chieftain Guthorm (“Battle Dragon”) was poised to invade England, the English king called up an ill-equipped army to counter him.
Being a pious Christian, the king also assembled a vast number of priests and monks to pray for victory. Guthorm's first move in battle was to kill every single one of them.
“Oh, the perfidious barbarians!” cried the Christians. “Massacring the defenseless men of peace!”
A frequently asked question is: How do I get an authentic Viking tattoo? There are lots of art designs that Asatruars and other heathens wear, but if you you want something historically accurate to the Viking Age, there are a few things to keep in mind.
I was invited to do a community booth for the Halloween Spooktacular sponsored by Haven Craft, an interfaith nonprofit organization in Las Vegas. It was on short notice, so I had to try to pull it off with just what I already had, and I decided on a Take a Photo with a Viking booth for the Heathen Visibility Project. I already had Viking garb.
I also already had a battle axe, which was not sharp. I asked the event organizer Melissa if heathens attending as Viking garb performers could have traditional weapons, and got the go-ahead on that before loading it into my truck. This axe was traded to me by its maker, Tony Mortimer-Kalama, under the Steel for Steel local custom. I posed for lots of photos holding my axe, but this is the only one taken with my own camera. Most of the other photos in which I'm posing with the axe are pictures in which children in Halloween costumes are getting their pictures taken with a Viking by their parents. Lots of kids wanted a picture, and I am wearing heathen symbols on my garb, so the booth was successful in furthering heathen visibility.
A Pagan writer discusses one (of several) reason(s) Pagans should be supportive of refugees and other immigrants. An interview with the managers of the holy site at Glastonbury. And an examination of the distinction between violent self-defense and violent activism. It's Watery Wednesday, our segment about news within the Pagan community. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
Janet Boyer
I love the idea of green burials! I first heard of Recompose right before it launched. I wish there were more here on the East Coast; that's how I'd l...
Victoria
I would say as neopagans we are constructing our futures rather than reconstructing THE future. I'm not sure if we are in the process of becoming a tr...
Steven Posch
Not so sure about "culty," though.Many--if not most--peoples with a collective sense of identity have a term for the "not-us people": barbaroi (non-He...
Mark Green
OK, this is funny.But could we [i]please[i] stop using that word (or, worse, "Muggles")?Having a down-putting term for people who aren't a part of you...
Mr. Posch, Your tale reminds me of some of my favorite scenes from the TV show, "Vikings". I'm sorry about your loved one. "Rob
ty!